Patoka Sportsman 7-20-19

Patoka Sportsman 7-20 & 7-21-19

A 7-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a copperhead snake Saturday at Brown County State Park. According to the Department of Natural Resources, the girl was playing with other kids at her campsite when she ran to the edge of the woods. That’s where the DNR believes she was when she was bit. After she complained of puncture wounds on her ankle, the girl’s father went back to the area and saw a snake. The girl was taken to IU Health Riley Hospital, and doctors say she will make a full recovery. DNR employees tried to catch the snake but it escaped. According to the DNR, the incident has similarities to other instances of copperhead bites: It was after dark, and the person who was bit was in a poorly lit area and not using a flashlight. The DNR offered this list of suggestions to prevent the likelihood of encounters with snakes in the park:

  • Stay on designate trails and mowed areas. Snake are less likely to come out in the open.
  • After dark, snakes will move around to hunt for food or lie on warm roadways, so stay in well-lit areas or use a flash light.
  • Keep your camp site clean. Snakes feed on rodents and human food wrappers, and debris on the ground may draw rodents to the site and the snakes may follow.
  • If you are camping in an area where there are snakes, check your site occasionally to make sure no snakes are passing through.
  • If a snake comes on your site, stay away from it. Keep kids and pets away from it, and contact the campground office.

The water level at Monroe Lake is at 10.9 feet above normal pool, as of the morning of July 16. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently releasing water at the maximum rate (2,200 CFS) and the lake is falling about 0.3 feet each day. Some areas and facilities at the lake are still impacted by high water; including the beaches, which will remain closed until at least mid-August. We recommend checking our website at in.gov/dnr/parklake/2954.htm or following us at facebook.com/monroelake for the most up-to-date info.

On July 1, reserved hunt application periods opened for dove, waterfowl, deer and pheasant. The application period for dove will close July 29, and the application period for deer will close Aug. 26. Waterfowl and pheasant application periods will close on Sept. 16. You can only apply for these hunts online. To get started with an application, go to on.IN.gov/reservedhunt and click on “Apply for a reserved hunt.” Only one application per hunt is allowed, and no changes can be made once an application is submitted. Applicants must possess a hunting license valid for the hunt for which they are applying. To find out more about reserved hunt applications that are open or opening soon visit on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.

As the summer continues to heat up, many of our rivers and streams will start to lower, exposing large sand and rock bars. If you have ever walked along these areas, you may have encountered a stranded freshwater mussel or noticed a trail in the sand as a mussel tries to get to deeper water. Mussels have a single foot, similar to your tongue, which they use to move. This makes it difficult to move quickly and get to safety. While it might be tempting to use a mussel as fish bait or to take home some shells for your rock garden, remember that it is illegal in Indiana to take live freshwater mussels or shell material.

Deer hunters can sign up for the chance to hunt on land owned by participating landowners with the new Deer Hunt Registry system administered by DNR’s Division of Fish & Wildlife. The Deer Hunt Registry connects deer hunters with landowners, golf courses, parks, land trusts, farmers, or communities. The registry will provide interested parties with a list of hunters in the area willing to help. The Deer Hunt Registry system is replacing the former Hunters Helping Farmers program and incorporating the Community Hunter Access Program (CHAP). To learn more about CHAP, see wildlife.IN.gov/9420.htm. Hunters will be able to sign up for the chance to hunt starting July 1, 2019. Signing up on the Deer Hunt Registry does not guarantee additional hunting opportunities or placement in a managed hunt. For more information or to sign up, see on.IN.gov/deerhuntregistry.

The DNR’S turkey brood survey runs from July 1 to Aug. 31, 2019. While you are out this summer, you are asked that you help them count the number of young wild turkeys (poults) with turkey hens. These surveys provide the DNR with information about turkey poult survival and inform wild turkey management. Create an account and start reporting your observations at on.IN.gov/turkeybrood.

More than 100 people are needed to assist kids around the Fishin' Pond during the 17 days of the Indiana State Fair, which runs Aug. 2-18. Volunteers get free admission to the fair on the day they work, a free Fishin’ Pond T-shirt, and the opportunity to fish with kids for a few hours at the pond. Volunteers can also help sign up kids to fish and help them with a fish coloring activity when they are finished fishing.

The Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee encourages individuals, families, friends and service groups to save the date for the 13th annual Patoka Lake Clean Up on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at the Patoka Lake Dam. Participants of all ages and abilities can sign up on location at 8 am EDT and will be assigned an area to pick up trash and recycling along the shore.

At 11 am, all volunteers return to the dam to be treated to a fish fry, music, door prizes, goody bags and of course, a free event t-shirt! Service and youth groups are asked to please register in advance!  Join in the fun and help rid Patoka Lake Watershed of unsightly, unhealthy trash!

Each year volunteers pick up over 2000 pounds of trash and recycling during this event.

All supplies are provided; volunteers just need to show up! The event takes place at the Patoka Lake Corps of Engineers office at the Patoka Lake Dam at 4512 N. Cuzco Road, Dubois. For information or to register a group in advance, call the Patoka Lake Nature Center

at 812-685-2447 or check the Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee Facebook page for updates.